The Castricum Art Bunker

During the Second World War, art treasures were stored in the Kunstbunker near Castricum to keep them out of the hands of the Germans and to protect them from attacks. Even the world famous Night Watch is stored here. The director and curator of the Stedelijk Museum took turns keeping watch from a barrack nearby.Nowadays there is also a link with a museum. The Amsterdam film museum Eye now owns the bunker and stores fragile and flammable nitrate films there. Some nitrate films are over 100 years old.

The very first art bunker was built in the dunes near Castricum on behalf of the municipality of Amsterdam. Construction began in November 1939 and was completed in April 1940. On top of the reinforced concrete was a 3 meter thick layer of sand for extra protection and camouflage. The bunker was equipped with an air handling system to maintain the correct environment.

The bunker functioned as a storage facility for national art treasures from the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Paintings hung from steel racks attached to the ceiling. The collection included works by famous artists such as Frans Hals, Rubens, Van Ruisdael, Jan Steen and Vermeer, including The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn. The bunker was supervised by the director of the Stedelijk Museum, David Röell, and curator Willem Sandberg, who alternated between staying in a nearby barracks.

Art treasures from the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam were kept here during the Second World War. Even the famous "night watch" was here at times.